'Despacito' Is Now The Second Song In History To Remain At No. 1 For 15 Weeks

Last week, America’s most popular song had company in its newfound place in history, but this time around, it is entirely alone, and the all-time record is within view.

Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s massively popular single “Despacito” has just been named as the No. 1 song in the United States for a fifteenth consecutive week. That isn’t just an impressive stay at the peak of the Hot 100, it’s one of the greatest ever, and it sets the track apart from over 1,000 others that have been lucky enough to climb all the way to the top.

Last week, when it collected its fourteenth turn at the top, the Latin single joined seven other incredibly popular songs that also managed 14 weeks in charge during their time in the spotlight. That list contains beloved compositions like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” and most recently, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk!” All eight tracks were tied in second place, but now that "Despacito" has moved up in total weeks, it alone can claim the second-longest streak at No. 1, while the other seven efforts have all been pushed down to third.

As of this week, only two songs in history have managed to hang on for 15 weeks, and surprisingly, none have ever stopped there, except for "Despacito" at the moment, but it might not be done just yet. The only other single that ruled for at least 15 weeks went on to collect one more frame in charge before finally stepping aside. That popular tune, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” remains the longest-running No. 1 hit of all time with 16 frames up top. In the two decades since that title ruled, only a handful of cuts have come even close, and none have seriously challenged that record...until now.

If “Despacito” can hold on for just one more week, it will tie with "One Sweet Day" as the longest-running No. 1 hit in U.S. history...but is that actually going to happen? The track is still going strong across a number of metrics, and the only serious challenger, DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller’s “Wild Thoughts,” doesn’t seem like it will steal the throne just yet, though hopefully that collab will eventually rise another spot and spend at least one period in charge, as it has waited long enough.

The next week is sure to be a tough one to wait through for Fonsi, Yankee and Bieber, as they wait to see if they can topple a longstanding record, or if they'll be forced to forever settle for second place.